The present invention concerns a machine tool for processing products including food products.
The invention relates more particularly to a machine tool for cutting and/or mixing products, for example, also known in the art as a mixer.
The tool of a machine of the above kind generally includes a tube-envelope provided at a first end with means for fixing it to the remainder of the machine and at a second end with a cage for receiving a product processing unit, for example a blade, carried by a first end of a shaft in the tube-envelope for driving the tool in rotation and whose second end includes means for releasably coupling it to a drive shaft of the machine and means in the tube-envelope and near the end thereof nearest the processing unit for guiding and centering the shaft for driving rotation of the processing unit.
One weakness of the above type of machine is insufficiently reliable sealing of the means for centering and guiding the shaft, which leads to penetration of the product into the tube-envelope, which causes contamination of the tool or even deterioration of the centering and guide means.
Thorough cleaning of the tool is particularly difficult because of its structure and conditions of use.
Various prior art systems which attempt to solve these problems have already been proposed.
For example, in some tools the product processing unit is removable.
It has already been proposed, in other tools, to make the tube-envelope in two portions fixed to each other by removable fixing means, to provide easier access to the centering and guide means.
None of the above solutions is as yet satisfactory, however.
The aim of the invention is therefore to solve the above problems.